Game Changer Explained: How did Ram Charan as IAS officer save the system and what went wrong in Shankar directorial?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

Ram Charan starrer Game Changer hit the big screens on January 10, 2025, coinciding with Sankranti this year. Despite garnering a massive hype before release, the political action drama tanked at the box office.

So, how did the story of Ram Nandan, the IAS officer, end and what led to the film’s dismissal by the audience? Let’s dive in.

Game Changer story: What is the Ram Charan starrer about?

Game Changer features the story of Ram Nadhan (Ram Charan), a newly appointed District Magistrate who is posted to Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. Assuming the office, Ram begins cleansing the city filled with corruption by simply asking the wrongdoers to correct their ways.

But, when the accused mock him, Nadhan takes a more aggressive method, leading to the seizure of a factory and the demolition of a mall. One by one, he deals with corrupt people, making them fear him.

Following these events, Ram reveals why he became an IAS officer even though he was once pursuing an MBBS degree. Even before becoming an IAS, he was an individual with anger management issues.

Given his aggressive attitude, his love interest Deepika (played by Kiara Advani) advises him to take the UPSC exam but forbids him from becoming an IPS officer. However, he misses the cutoff marks to pass the threshold of an IAS rank and becomes an IPS officer.

This prompts Deepika to abandon him even though Nadhan had reappeared for the UPSC exam and became an IAS officer. Years later, the man is searching for his love, only to find and reunite with her at an old-age home.

At the old age facility, Nadhan meets with mentally challenged Parvathy, who requests him if she could meet the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Parvathy interrupts CM’s political event and reveals the past crimes and scandals he had committed.

After an altercation at the event with Ram striking the CM’s son, Bobbili Mopidevi (SJ Suryah), it creates a massive political uproar. Incidentally, the CM suffers a heart attack and is hospitalized.

On his hospital bed, the CM dismisses his son on account of corruption, which makes Mopidevi furious, and he ends his father’s life. With public sympathy at his side, he expects to serve as the next Chief Minister and takes revenge against Ram with fabricated evidence to suspend and arrest him.

However, the tides take a turn when just as the CM’s funeral pyre is about to be lit, a pre-recorded video showcases the late politician endorsing Ram Nandan as the next Chief Minister.

As the truth is revealed to the world, people come out in support of Ram, preventing his arrest.

Soon, it is revealed that Ram Nandan is the son of Appanna (also played by Ram Charan), the original founder of the late CM’s party. What shocks his world even more is the fact that Parvathy, the one he met at the old-age home, is his biological mother.

Taking us back in time, it is showcased that Ram’s parents were staunch protestors against corruption. However, his father suffered from stammering, which made him hire the now-dead CM Sathyamoorthy.

Soon enough, Appanna’s party grows in prominence, but he discovers that his allies Sathyamoorthy and Mukundha are betraying him for personal gain. Before Ram’s father dissolved the party, both of them ended Appanna’s life, leaving Parvathy in a mental shock.

How did Game Changer end?

After knowing the truth, Ram reunites with his mother and is soon to take up the role of acting Chief Minister. However, Mopidevi plays a ruse and inadvertently becomes the CM.

A massive uproar among IAS officers occurs, which leads to Ram's appointment as the Election Commission Officer. What follows next is Mopidevi’s tactics on how to subdue Ram from conducting fair elections and take over the state with his corrupt practices.

With every plan being foiled by Ram, a massive fight takes place between them in the end at a vote-counting center, with the once IAS officer emerging victorious and becoming the state CM.

What went wrong with Game Changer?

Game Changer from a writing perspective, suffered from cinematic stereotypes and a predictable storyline. The subpar execution by Shankar made it difficult to experience the film.

Taking the example of Ram’s motivation to become an IAS officer, he attributes it to his love for Deepika. She then leaves him because he became an IPS officer; however, an average person would know if you’re eligible to become an IPS officer, one could take up another post in the IFS, IRS, and more.

Leaving behind the logical aspects of the storyline, the film features talented actors like Sunil and Vennela Kishore for comic relief. The former’s character is titled as “Side” Satyam, a literal ‘Side-kick’ who does daily activities only sideways. Why such a creative decision? one may ask, honestly, no one has any idea.

Unaware of what it means to be Meta, the Shankar directorial questioned the audience’s intellect, making an outdated political entertainer, but ultimately failed.

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